Gombau apologises after emphatic Reds win

Adelaide United coach Josep Gombau lavished his players and adoring fans, while continuing his attack on local media following the Reds- emphatic 4-0 drubbing of Central Coast Mariners at Coopers Stadium on Saturday.

It was United’s drought-busting first triumph since the opening round of the Hyundai A-League season and their first over the Mariners since 2009.

Gombau was swarmed by his players after Bruce Djite scored Adelaide’s first goal in the 25th minute.

Then soon after the final whistle, the Catalonian-born mentor walked across the field, clapping and waving, towards the Reds cheersquad, who were brandishing a sign which said ‘In Josep We Trust’.

Gombau was rapt with the support of the fans in the face of what he described as ‘unfair comments that they needed to listen to’.

“I am happy with the win … for the players and the fans more than for anybody,” Gombau said.

“When we finished the game I wanted to say thanks to everybody.

“I went to them (fans) because they put (up the sign) ‘In Josep We Trust’.

“I feel that they are appreciating the job I am doing.

“They trust me, they support the team, and the players are believing and working very hard.

“The support I felt here in the stadium was very important.

“It wasn’t fair, some (media) comments that they needed to listen to.”

On Friday, Gombau had a heated exchange – for the second time in as many weeks – with News Limited journalist and veteran Adelaide soccer scribe Val Migliaccio after an official press conference at Hindmarsh Stadium.

The dispute got personal when Gombau described Migliaccio’s son Fabio, who plays in the South Australian state league, as a ‘shit goalkeeper’.

After the big win over the Mariners, Gombau expressed a degree of contrition over his ill-advised comment.

“Yesterday I made one mistake, I (mentioned) his (Migliacco’s) son,” Gombau said.

“This is something where I want to apologise to the son.

“This is my mistake.”

Gombau did, however, continue his attack on Migliaccio.

The Reds coach extraordinarily said he wanted Migliaccio to know how it felt to have his family attacked, Gombau considering Adelaide United his family now, with his actual family on the other side of the world.

“Val is here, he’s a person who is doing his job, but is blaming a lot,” Gombau said.

“For me, that I am outside of my home, my family is the people who are working with me in the club.

“My family is 15,000km away from me.

“When I see something that is not fair for them, I defend them like a family.

“I made it for him to feel what happens when somebody says something to (about) your family.